Putty in Their Paws

A lot of this is funny. Of course we wipe out cats' butts! We don't want them smearing it all over the house!!!! Besides which, who could possibly blame them for not wanting to use their normal method of bathing?

Cats are toddlers in fur coats....and, as such they are easy care. Personally, MY cats are very affectionate! Why, Rudy french kisses me every chance he gets. Just so you know, I did not write the below!

Why we do what cats want? Cats are skimpy with affection, territorial and do a lot of taking and without much giving. So why do we put up with them? A pair of studies says we may not have a choice.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32178794/ns/health-pet_health/from/ET

Santino Collage

Except for the two hear tags, they all feature Santino. I made this for Virginia, his "birth mother", and I made it with love. I have to admit that I did want to keep it....well, my evil twin wanted to keep it.:-) Actually, I get attached to most of my
my work and like to keep it for a while before parting with it. This one I sent off quickly, though, because I just couldn't wait for Virginia to get it......means I wanted her to have it more than I wanted to keep it for myself.:-)

A Plume!

Santino just keeps getting cuter and cuter! Seemingly overnight, his tail grew into a typical Balinese kitty's plume.

The story goes that it is because the breed got it's name because it carries its plumed tail upward where it waves gracefully, reminiscent of a Balinese dancer.

The Helper

So special about Balinese is their insistence on always being close...always involved in whatever is going on. Here you see Santino surveying all my wonderful toys, and checking out which ones he's going to make his own. I figure that leaves me more space on the table.:-)

Today, with Bedmaking II as prerequisite, Santino tackled Laundry-Helper I, and quickly progressed through II and III as well.

First, he burrowed under the clean laundry in the basket, popping up from the middle like a gopher. Next he jumped into the large sheet I was folding, getting folded into it, and staying in it as I swung him gently. At this point, I decided it was MY turn, and I pantsed him. He had none to take off, so I dressed him in my pink underwear. No, he was not embarrassed. What a good sport!:-)

trio of beggars

Jake is on the left, Cappy is in the middle and that is little Leroy when he was a wee kitten. They were all begging for food.(Which they did not get!)

Leroy the pest

DH is trying to read his papers on the internet. Leroy insists on being close. He use to get in our laps but at 17 pounds that was a bit uncomfortable. He now lays in this spot if he feels that he needs to be close to us.

Happy Birthday to Miki!

Miki is 6 today....I got him when Jack was in the nursing home, although I did take Miki to visit, putting him on Jack's bed. Jack pretended to be interested and Miki, in his infinite wisdom, held still while Jack's heavy hand lay on him.

Miki entered my household spitting and hissing. I named him Dragon-Nail, but quickly changed it to "Mikimoto" for the precious pearls. Zippy, my Balinese, wrapped his large paws around little Miki, saying "ah...at last, MY kitten!"

They were inseperable, and then Zippy died..at 17, and Miki has not fully recovered. It's been two years, but he still looks for and calls for him. I've tried everything I could think of, including energy work and Bach flower stress remedy.

Growing Up

My baby Santino has grown into a magnificent adolescent....much, much too fast. I'm grateful that I have this "scrapbook" of him. He's at least 7#, perhaps more. Nicely rounded...a bit too rounded for showing....but, all muscle. He makes an incredibly wonderful hug, like a purring stuffed toy!:-)

The other three kitties all groom him! He's definitely The Prince!
Rudy, Miki, and Sophie may change their minds about that when he reaches full maturity. They may say 'enough with this Baby Hotshot!' :-)

Cat Nap

It was a peaceful afternoon nap, and had I not brought in my camera, they might have stayed asleep. I can't ever sneak up on Santino or Sophie, darn it! They keep track of me at all times, and I like that except it makes photos difficult. Sophie appears to pose when she sees the camera, and Santino won't stay put.


Oh, I can tell that Santino is about to pounce on Sophie!












Yes, I can read Santino's mind.












Can you tell there are two cats in this photo?

July 4th

I was able to complete "The Fishmonger" today while Sophie and the boys rested.

It's a Birthday!

As you can see the birthday leis did not go over real big, even though I told them how handsome they looked. How am I ever going to get birthday hats on them? (It's a good thing there were treats, as well!)

At 7 months, Santino is a very handsome, sweet, but incredibly spoiled boy, entirely without manners. It's not his fault. Today, he landed on my face with all fours. Fortunately, his claws were not out. I love his exuberance, but wish he'd only pounce on Sophie who doesn't mind.

He has completed Bedmaking II, and will be starting on III which is when he allows me to tuck the sheets IN while he runs around in them. Maybe by his next birthday.......:-)